Female Bonding
by KaveDweller
Summary: Set in Season 5, sometime after Target/Hunt. Kate helps Alexis deal with the aftermath of her kidnapping, which impacts her relationship with Castle. Not super dark. Will be a three-shot.
1. Chapter 1

Beckett let herself into the dark loft, still not totally used to the process of arriving alone. He'd given her the key in January when her apartment was fumigated, just in case she had to get in when he wasn't around while she was staying there. She'd felt awkward when she was leaving, not sure if he'd intended for it to be a temporary loan or not, but had finally offered it back to him. He'd paused for a moment, then told her to keep it. He'd looked nervous, but when she smiled broadly and thanked him he leaned in and gave her a deep kiss. The next day she'd given him a copy of a key to her own apartment while they were out for dinner. He dragged her home that night to celebrate using it.

Since then she'd been spending more and more nights at Castle's loft. Even days when he hadn't been at the precinct she'd taken to going home to him at the end of the day. A year ago she would have been eager to get to her own place and be alone after a long day, but everything was different now. Even though she knew Castle was probably already asleep all she wanted to do was curl up in bed next to him.

She entered the dark loft, kicking off her heels as she shut the door. She was about to turn towards the bedroom when she heard a noise coming from the kitchen.

"Castle? It might be easier to find a midnight snack with the lights on." But when she flipped on the lights she didn't see anyone in the kitchen. "Rick?"

"Kate?" But it wasn't Castle's voice that called out to her.

"Alexis?"

"Yeah." The young redhead popped up from where she'd been crouched behind the counter, and smiled awkwardly. "I was just looking for, um, an earring I dropped."

"In the dark?"

"I'm young, I have good vision." Alexis smiled perkily, but Beckett didn't buy it. She remembered after her shooting she sometimes got freaked by noises and dropped to the floor when her neighbor's door slammed. She hoped Alexis wasn't dealing with the same thing.

"I'm sorry if I scared you when I came in," Kate said gently. She took a seat at one of the stools on the opposite side of the counter from Alexis. "I didn't realize you'd be here."

"Oh, I was in the neighborhood visiting a friend who's home from Northwestern for her spring break. I stayed longer than I realized and thought it would be easier to just crash here and go back to campus in the morning." Alexis shifted as she talked and leaned down on the counter with her arms.

"When it's light again?" Beckett asked her, but when she saw the surprised look on Alexis's face she backed down. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry. I'll leave you alone -"

"No, that's okay," Alexis smiled. "You're right. I just haven't liked walking around campus alone at night since...well, since Paris."

"That seems like a pretty normal reaction to me. Getting abducted is pretty traumatic. But I get not wanting to talk about something, so I really am sorry to bring it up."

"Getting abducted," Alexis repeated. "That sounds so much worse than just saying 'what happened in Paris.'"

"Sorry," Beckett shrugged. "Cops tend to use the legal terminology. Part of our training. Does it make you uncomfortable?"

"No….I guess not really. I mean thinking about it makes me uncomfortable, but saying the words don't make it any worse."

"Do you think about it a lot?"

"I try not to, but every time I'm not actively thinking about something else, that's what pops into my head. Being forced into that van, being put into a cage. It's driving me crazy actually, because I just want to move on and stop dwelling on it, you know?"

"Yeah, I do," Beckett said nodding. "That's exactly how I felt after I got shot. And the pain medication after my surgery made me sleep a lot and whenever I slept I had nightmares about it. It took a long time for that to go away."

"Yeah, I had nightmares after you were shot too," Alexis told her.

"You did?"

"I had this recurring dream that when my dad tried to push you down the bullet got him."

Kate felt a huge wave of guilt wash over her. Of course Alexis would have nightmares after seeing her dad so close when she got shot. She knew Alexis resented her after Castle started shadowing her again last year, but she hadn't really connected that with the trauma of seeing the shooting.

"I'm sorry," Kate told her.

"It's not your fault you got shot." Alexis told her. That was actually a debatable point, but Alexis certainly didn't need to know the details of her investigation into her mom's death.

"Well, I'm still sorry you went through that. And about your abdu….I mean about Paris."

Alexis smiled, but didn't say anything else and Kate wasn't sure what else to add. This was really the first time she and Alexis had had a deep conversation like this since she and Castle had gotten together. They'd only been dating a few weeks when Alexis moved into the dorms at Columbia, and Alexis wasn't even aware of the relationship during most of that time. But Kate really did want to make an effort with Alexis. She had just never dated a guy with a kid before so it was slightly uncharted territory.

"You don't have to answer this if you don't want to, but have you talked to anyone about what happened?"

"You mean like a therapist?" Alexis said it in a slightly insulting tone, the way most young people who lived charmed lives until now would use. But it didn't bother Kate.

"Yeah," Kate nods. "I actually saw one after I got shot and it helped a lot."

"Didn't the NYPD make you do that?"

"Yes. But I went back after I was cleared to go back to work. I realized that being okay to work didn't mean I was living the best life I could." Kate paused. "Does that sound really cheesy? I don't have your father's way with words."

"No, it doesn't." Alexis pushed up from the counter and step backwards, leaning against the stove behind her. She was studying the floor.

"Look Alexis, I don't mean to push you into anything you don't want to do. Everyone's different. But if you want tips for how to deal with nerves, or nightmares, or any of it…..I'm here to talk."

"What kind of tips?" Alexis looked up curious.

"You could take a self-defense class. I think all women should take them, actually. It makes you more confident to know some moves in case something happens. And if you have to think about Paris, focus on the positives. Remind yourself that you were taken, but you _survived_. You got away and you're a stronger person for that. You know that you have the ability to live through something like that."

"But I didn't really get away. I was rescued. The only reason I even got home was because of Dad and -" Alexis trails off.

"Your grandfather?" When Kate fills in the blank Alexis's eyes widened.

"You know about him?" She sounded surprised.

"Your dad told me after he brought you home."

"Oh. They just told us we weren't supposed to tell anyone about all that."

"Well, your dad doesn't exactly follow the rules." Beckett smiled, then realized that maybe that sounded flippant. "That doesn't mean he's just been going around telling everyone, or that you should be telling people -"

"I know," Alexis said sharply, but then she softened. "I guess he just thinks you're special."

Kate felt her cheeks redden slightly, not sure how to respond, but Alexis solved that problem by continuing.

"Anyway, I am a rule follower, so, don't worry me talking."

"Good to know," Kate said. "And you know Alexis, you did do a lot. You helped keep Sarah calm. You were able to pick the lock of the room you were being kept in. You got a hold of a phone and called your dad. Not everyone would have managed to do those things."

"Really?"

"Really," Beckett said assuredly.

Before she could say anything else she heard footsteps behind her and turned to see Castle coming out of the bedroom, rubbing his eyes.

"I thought I heard voices out here," he said approaching them. "Did my watch stop or are you two up in the middle of the night? That or having a really, really early breakfast."

"Sorry, Dad, did we wake you?" Alexis asked him.

"Yeah, but don't worry about it." Castle paused looking between the two women. "Everything okay?"

"Sure, we were just talking," Alexis said smiling.

"This late? What about?"

"Just...girl talk," Alexis told him. "But I think I'm going to head to bed now, I have an early class. Night guys." Alexis kissed her father's cheek, waved at Kate, then headed for the stairs.

"Shall we?" Castle reached out a hand to Kate, cocking his head towards the bedroom. Kate grabbed his hand and followed him through his office to the bedroom.

Castle stretched out on the bed watching as Kate changed into one of his t-shirts and a pair of very short, tight shorts that made him anything but tired.

"So, 'girl talk,' huh?" Castle raised his eyebrows in question to Beckett as she walked near the bed. "That's new."

"Yeah, I guess it is." Kate got in bed and turned to face him. "I just bumped into her in the kitchen when I came in and we started talking."

"Good. I mean, I'm really glad you get along."

"You raised an incredible daughter, Castle. It would be pretty hard to not get along with her."

"I'm pretty sure I just lucked out there."

"Don't sell yourself short." Kate reached up and stroked her fingers through Castle's hair. "You're an amazing father Rick, that makes a huge difference in a child's life."

"Thank you for saying that." Castle's eyes crinkled in appreciation and he leaned in and gave her a quick kiss.

"Always," Beckett smiled back at him. After looking at each other a moment Beckett snuggled next to Castle in bed, resting her head on his chest. Castle snapped the lights off with his remote, then wrapped his arm around her body.

"Goodnight, Beckett."

"Goodnight, Castle."


	2. Chapter 2

**Authors** **Note** : I originally intended this to be two parts, but I had to break it into three. Third part will be posted shortly.

* * *

Beckett sat at her desk reading through a file from an old case. The trial had been delayed several times, but was finally coming up next week, and she needed to re-familiarize herself with the details before she testified. She was deep in the research when she heard someone approach her desk.

"Hi, Kate."

"Alexis," she said surprised. "You know your dad's not here, he's speaking at that writers' conference today."

"I know, that's why I came. I wanted to talk to you alone. I mean, if you have time?"

"Yeah, sure." Kate paused when she noticed Ryan and Esposito glancing at them from their desks. "Why don't we go somewhere more private."

After leading Alexis to one of the rooms they use for talking to witnesses, Kate smiled reassuringly at the girl. "So, what brings you here?"

"I was thinking about something you said last week," Alexis started. "About self-defence."

"Did you find a class?"

"Yeah. It was kind of cool actually. But it was harder than I thought. I don't exactly feel like I could do anything if I was threatened."

"Well, it was only one class," Kate told her. "It takes practice."

"I don't want to practice though. I want to feel like I'm in control of something."

"Alexis, I understand feeling that way. But things don't always work like that.

"I actually had a better idea though," Alexis paused nervously. "I was wondering if you could...show me how to shoot."

"You mean shoot a gun?

"Yeah. I mean, I bet I'd feel in control that way. If someone attacks you and you have a gun you have the upper hand, right? Isn't that why you carry a gun when you're working? To have the upper hand over criminals."

"Well, yes. But having a gun doesn't mean you're automatically safe. And if used incorrectly it can cause a lot of damage."

"So, can martial arts. That's what they told us in the self-defence class that _you_ told me to take." Alexis had clearly thought out her argument about this.

"That's true," Kate acknowledged. "But it's a lot harder to accidently kill someone with martial arts than a gun. And you know that even if I taught you to shoot you wouldn't be able to carry a gun around with you."

"Look I'm not saying I want to carry one around," Alexis explained. "I just want to try shooting one. Can't you take me to one of those shooting ranges or something? My dad told me you've let him shoot there."

Kate was torn because she knew exactly how Alexis felt. Having her gun did make her feel in control. She loved the power involved in being a cop. And she understood the desire to do anything to stop feeling like a victim. But she also knew it wasn't that simple.

"Alexis have you talked to your dad about this?"

"He wouldn't care," Alexis said quickly. "He taught me to play laser tag when I was like, 4. He's not exactly one of those parents who avoided toy guns because he didn't want to encourage violence."

"This wouldn't be a toy though. He might think differently."

"He said he wishes he could get a license to carry his own gun. He's totally fine with them."

"That's him though," Kate pointed out. "I don't think he'd feel the same way about you."

"I'm 19," Alexis said starting to sound a little annoyed. "I don't need his permission to do things."

"I know you don't. But your dad's important to me. And I wouldn't be comfortable doing something like that without him knowing."

Alexis sighed and leaned forward, putting her head in hands.

"I'm not trying to discourage you," Kate told her.

"No, you're just pushing me to tell Dad, so that _he'll_ discourage me."

"I just want him to know about it first." Kate got up from where she was sitting and moved next to Alexis. "I think trying it, in a protected area like the shooting range could be good for you. I'll tell him that if you want."

"It sounded like you were trying to talk me out of it."

"I'm not. I just want you to understand how serious this is. A gun is really powerful. They don't just hand them out at the academy, they train us on them."

"Right," Alexis said nodding.

"And I think it might be good for you and your father to talk about everything that happened anyway." Kate put her hand on Alexis's shoulder. "Talking might help how you feel too."

Suddenly there was a knock on the door and Esposito poked his head in.

"Sorry to interrupt Beckett, but we got a body drop."

"Okay, give me one minute," Beckett turned back to Alexis as Esposita headed away from them. "I'm sorry, I've gotta go. But I want to talk more about this."

"I guess someone got shot with one of those dangerous guns," Alexis joked trying to lighten the mood. She sounded like her father.

"You know it's not a joke," Kate said. "This person who died, however they died, has someone that loves them who's going to hurt from this."

"Oh, god, of course they do," Alexis said horrified. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to make light of it, I just wasn't thinking."

"It's okay," Kate told her. She noticed Esposito and Ryan walking towards the elevator through the window of the conference room. "I really do have to go though, can we talk more later?"

"Yeah, of course," Alexis nodded and stood up as Kate exited the room.

The case ended up being pretty straightforward, a man had strangled his wife when he found out she was cheating on him. They had it wrapped up fairly early, and despite the simplicity of it, the boys insisted they go out for a drink to celebrate. Kate sent a quick text to Castle inviting him to join them at the Old Haunt.

They'd only been there about twenty minutes when Castle arrived. Ryan saw him first and waved him over to their table.

"Hey Castle," Kate said turning to greet him with a smile on her face. She took his hand and squeezed it. "Sit down."

"Actually, can I talk to you for a second? Alone?" He cocked his head in the direction of the bar's office.

"Uh, sure." Kate got up and followed him down the hallway and steps into the office. "Is something wrong?"

"Did you tell Alexis you would teach her to shoot a gun?"

Okay, so Alexis had already talked to him. Beckett hadn't expected that based on where she and Alexis left thingsearlier, but there was no going back now.

"Not exactly."

"Really? Because she told me you did. That you thought it would be a good idea." Castle crossed his arms and looked at her angrily.

"She came to see me and said this is what she wanted. I told her she should talk to you first." Beckett paused and studied his face. "Why are you so upset about this?"

"Because she….she's my little girl," Castle said uncrossing his arms. "She shouldn't have anything to do with guns or kidnappers or any of it. She should be innocent and safe and not worried about whether people are going to abduct her."

"Rick," Kate said gently, touching his arm. "I know she'll always be your little girl, but she's growing up. And this terrible thing _did_ happen to her. She was impacted by that and you can't pretend it never happened."

"I don't want to pretend it never happened. I want to give her a 24-hour security detail to make sure it never happens again." He paused. " I don't know why she refused to let me do that."

"Really, you don't know why someone wouldn't want guards watching them _all_ the time?"

"Well, at first I thought she was just dealing with everything really well," he tells her. "But now she tells me she's been scared for weeks. And she told you about it instead of me."

"So, you're mad that she talked to me?" Beckett sounded confused.

"No, I'm mad that she _didn't_ talk to me. And maybe a little mad you didn't tell me what she told you. She said today wasn't the first time she talked to you." He sounded less angry than before, but Beckett could hear an accusation in this voice.

"Castle, she never really told me anything specific. I saw her last week and noticed she seemed on edge so I pushed her to talk a little. I figured you must know she's been a little upset about what happened. And I didn't think I needed to tell you everything we talk about. "

"She's my daughter."

"She's practically an adult. I was trying to be her friend. You're the one who said you wanted us to get along."

"I do," Castle answered. "Just not - "

"Just not as much as you do?"

"No, I don't mean it like that. It's just….the truth is I haven't always let women I've dated get close to Alexis," Castled confessed. "Especially when she was young, I didn't want to expose her to people that may not be around too long."

"Castle, I'm not going anywhere."

"I know. And honestly, you've always given me good advice about Alexis. I love being able to talk to you about her, because it's something I never had in the past. Not even when I was married to Gina. But you should be talking about her to me too."

"I will," Beckett said. "But I can't tell you every word Alexis says to me….I wouldn't tell her everything we talk about either."

"Yeah, but that's different. You're supposed to be on my side first."

"Castle, there's no sides. And I don't just want to help Alexis because she's your daughter, I want to help her because she's a great young woman. I care about her. I'm not just going to talk to her to report back to you. But if something's seriously wrong, of course I'll tell you."

"Her asking to use a gun isn't serious?"

"Look, when she came to me this morning about the gun, I told her she should talk to you." Beckett took a step closer to Castle. "I wouldn't have felt right doing something that big with her without you knowing. I definitely would have told you if she didn't, but I hadn't even seen you since then."

"Right," Castle said nodding. "I guess you would have. I'm sorry if I overreacted."

"No, it's fine." Beckett reached up and put her arms around his neck. "Just know that I really was just trying to help. Help both of you."

"Thanks for caring about her." Castle leaned in and gave her a quick kiss before continuing. "Do you think I need to be really worried though? I was hoping we could both just move on from Paris, but maybe that's been the wrong way to handle it. Maybe she has PTSD or something serious. What do you think?

"Caste, I'm not a doctor."

"Yeah, but you're more familiar with PTSD than I am."

"I am?" Beckett raised her eyebrows at him.

"I….during that sniper case last year I looked up the symptoms. I was worried about you. It seemed like that's what you were going through."

"Oh." She pulled her arms away from Castle and looked down at the floor.

"Are you mad? I didn't mean to invade your privacy or anything, I was just worried -"

"It's really sweet, actually." Beckett looked back at his face smiling and Castle could see an internal debate happening in her head. "Technically, I was never _officially_ diagnosed. But yeah, my doctor did think I was showing most of the symptoms."

"So, then what do you think about Alexis…..?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Authors** **Note** : I know nothing about guns and do not advocate shooting them for therapy or any other reason.

* * *

" _It's really sweet, actually." Beckett looked back at his face smiling and Castle could see an internal debate happening in her head. "Technically, I was never officially diagnosed. But yeah, my doctor did think I was showing most of the symptoms."_

" _So, then what do you think about Alexis…..?"_

* * *

"Well like I said, I'm not a doctor and I'm not around her _that_ much.. But no, I don't think she has PTSD. She seems to be holding together really well. Having stress after a traumatic event is normal. Healthy even. It'll get better with time."

"And you think taking Alexis to a shooting range will help her? Don't you think it could freak her out? Give her flashbacks or something?"

"Castle, I honestly have no idea," Beckett said. "It _could_. But I can also understand the argument that doing something that will make her more powerful may help her in other situations. I couldn't wait until I got my gun back after my shooting for that exact reason."

"Yeah, but she's not you. I don't want her to -"

"You don't want her to be like me?"

"No, no. That's not what I mean," Castle said quickly. "You're amazing. But your job puts you in danger. I don't want her exposed to so much risk. I still think I should hire those guards we talked about."

"Castle, she's probably not in any more danger than any other young women in the city. You told me that Jackson Hunt's enemies were neutralized."

"Okay, then why does she need to shoot a gun to feel protected? It's not like trying a gun at a shooting range would give her any protection in the real world."

"That's not the point, Castle. It's about doing something that will make her feel powerful. You don't want her to spend the rest of her life being scared because of this one experience. I think letting her do something where she feels empowered will extend that feeling to other areas of her life."

"You really think that?"

"Yeah, I do," Kate said. "And look, I'll take her. It'll be completely safe, in a controlled environment. Worst case scenario is that she hates it and we have to cut things short. But then it will be out of her system."

"No, worst case is she gets a hunger for guns and goes out and joins some gang, drops out of school, and ends up bleeding to death on the street."

"Castle." She rolled her eyes and gently swatted at his chest with her hand.. "If Alexis tried to join a gang I'm pretty sure we'd be able to get to her before it got too far."

"Really?"

"Yeah, think of all we've accomplished together. We're a pretty amazing team."

"It's hard not to be amazing with you." Castled leaned in and pushed a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "Okay."

"Okay?"

"Taking Alexis to the shooting range….let's do it," he said. "But I want to be there too."

"That works for me," Kate smiled at him as he leaned in for a kiss. "But, um, maybe we should talk to Alexis about it later? We probably should get back to Ryan and Espo….before they start thinking something's wrong?"

"Sounds good." Castle grabs her hand and leads her back out to the main room of the bar.

xxxxx

"Dad, you're making me nervous," Alexis told him. "Can you just move away or something?"

Castle, Beckett, and Alexis were at an indoor shooting range early the next Saturday morning. At that hour it was relatively empty, and Beckett thought it would be a good time to introduce Alexis to it.

"Sure, sweetie," Castle said taking one tiny step backwards.

"Dad," Alexis said rolling her eyes.

"What? I moved."

"Kate, can you do something about him?" Alexis turned to look at Beckett in exasperation.

"Rick," Beckett said taking a step towards Castle trying to hide a smile. "How about you give her some space?"

"I want to make sure this goes okay," he said softly Kate.

"I'll make sure it does," Kate told him. "I promise. Just step back a little more, okay?"

"Fine," Castle grumbled before moving back away from Alexis's position to watch from afar.

"Okay," Beckett said turning back to Alexis. "Make sure you have the ear plugs on securely….and the goggles…." Beckett adjusted her own protective gear as she talked. "Now put your feet facing the target, about shoulder distance apart."

"Like this?"

"Yup. Now hold it out with your right hand and brace that hand with your left one. And...go."

Alexis started shooting at the target.

After a few minutes, Beckett guided her to stop, and flipped the switch to pull the paper target in from the other side of the range. She and Castle had talked about the best way to do this and had agreed to keep Alexis's time with the gun to a minimum.

As she pulled in the target, Castle approached them again and reached for the paper target.

"Let's take a look at how you did," he said. Alexis had only managed to connect a few hits on the outer edge of the grid. " I think it's pretty impressive."

"It's awful, you can say it," Alexis told him.

"It's really not bad for the first time," Beckett told her.

"No, it is. I totally suck at this, I couldn't even bring myself to aim right."

"What do you mean" Castle asked her.

"That target has an outline of a person on it. It just felt wrong to aim where there heart would be. I just wanted to do this to see if it made me feel safe, but having it look like a person is too much."

"Did the firing bother you? Make you feel panicked?" Beckett asked her.

"No, not at all," Alexis said. "And I'm really glad I tried it. I just didn't like it. I didn't feel powerful holding it at all either. Does that make me weak?"

"Of course not," Beckett assured her. "Everybody's different."

"Well, I'm still going to get this framed and mount it somewhere," Castle said gesturing to the target. "I want to show off my amazing daughter's talent."

"My unamazing lack of talent."

"Never say that, everything you do is amazing," Castle told her kissing her forehead. "I don't know how I got so lucky that way, but I am definitely going to revel in it."

"Whatever, Dad." Alexis rolled her eyes, but she was smiling and Kate could tell she was really flattered by her father's words.

Based on Alexis's reaction to the place, the three of them decided to call it a day and packed up to leave the range. As they were approaching the car, Alexis pulled Kate back to talk.

"Do you think less of me?" Alexis said.

"Not at all," Kate told her. "Why would you think that?"

"It's just…..you're this badass cop who can carry a weapon and take down killers. Didn't you once shoot someone who was going to kill my dad? You saved his life. And I couldn't even handle shooting a piece of paper."

"I'm just a regular cop," Beckett said feeling slightly uncomfortable.. "Any other cop in my position would have done that. Badass is going a little too far."

"My dad would never have created a series of books about you if you were just a regular cop. You seem so smart and strong and you make a difference in the world. I really want to be like that when I'm your age."

"Alexis you already are smart and strong. You do amazing in school and we already talked about how you handled the abduction. You're pretty impressive yourself. In a few years I'm sure you'll be making a difference in the world. Probably more so than me."

"It's just...ever since my dad started working with you, and feeling so fulfilled by solving these murders, I kind of wondered if it was something I could do," Alexis paused and looked away for a moment before continuing. "That's why I interned with Lanie last year. But I just proved to be an epic failure at shooting."

"Alexis, you're not an epic failure just because you didn't like it." Kate reached out and squeezed the girl's shoulder. " If you really wanted, I'm sure you could practice and train yourself to be better. But there's no reason to force it. And if you want to be involved in work like this there's plenty of ways to do it. Medical examiners don't need to shoot a gun. Neither do lawyers."

"Yeah, I guess," Alexis said.

"But you know, you shouldn't think you need to go into this field just because of your father or me or anyone else. Do what makes you happy."

"I don't know what that is though.….I've never felt like there's one thing that I really want to do or that I think will fulfill me. It would be so easy if there was a family tradition to follow."

"You know I was supposed to do that," Kate said smiling slightly. "I was going to go to law school and follow in my parents footprints. And my grandfather was a lawyer too, so those footprints went _way_ back."

"And then your mom died." Alexis looked at her sympathetically.

"Yup," Beckett nodded. "But somehow the worst thing that ever happened to me sent me on this new path that has ended up being really fulfilling. Now, I certainly hope nothing like that _ever_ happens to you. But life will happen and eventually it will lead you where you're supposed to be."

"You really think that?"

"Yes. You'll find what makes you happy, just don't rush it," Beckett said reassuringly. "And your father will be proud no matter what, and so will I."

"Thanks," Alexis said smiling. Then she reached out and pulled Kate into a quick hug.

Kate saw over her shoulder that Castle was slightly down the street leaning on the car and clearly pretending to look at his phone while also watching them. She figured he must have seen them talking and was giving them some space to finish, and she felt pleased that he trusted her to do that.

"Hey," Kate said to Alexis when they pulled apart. How about I take you and your dad out for brunch? I know this diner around here that sells the most amazing pancakes I've ever had."

"Sure, sounds good," Alexis said, then raised her voice so that it could reach Castle. "Hey, Dad…..Kate thinks there's a place near here that makes better pancakes than you….want to try them." She was teasing playfully, and Beckett appreciated that the girl was comfortable enough to do that.

"What?" Castle said, stepped towards them. "I am deeply offended by that, Beckett. But I am willing to taste these other pancakes to let them plead their case. Provided you're willing to taste mine tomorrow for a comparison."

"I think I can live with that," Beckett grinned up at him and Alexis who was laughing. "Let's go."

The three of them walked down the street laughing together.


End file.
